A Dutch account records violence against a woman of Palmares

On 11 November 1595, a new law said Indigenous people could be captured only in wars specifically authorized by the Crown, while those captured by other means were to be free. The 1609 law later...

On 26 July 1596, the Crown transferred administration of Indigenous peoples in Brazil to the Jesuits. This measure limited settlers’ direct control in some settings while expanding missionary...

On 30 July 1609, the Crown issued a law declaring Indigenous people in Portuguese America free and condemning unlawful captivity. The law’s language responded to documented abuses, yet colonial...

On 10 September 1611, the Crown enacted a law defining conditions under which Indigenous people could be captured in “just wars” and setting rules for their treatment and service. In practice,...

On 12 January 1616, Portuguese forces founded the settlement that became Belém, extending colonial occupation into the Amazon region. Military outposts, missions, and settlements were used to claim...

On 10 March 1649, João IV established the Companhia Geral do Comércio do Brasil by royal charter. It organized protected commerce and shipping between Portugal and Brazil and served military aims...

On 26 January 1654, Dutch authorities signed the capitulation ending their control of Recife and surrounding territories. The transfer changed the European power governing a major sugar-producing...

On 9 April 1655, the Crown issued a law governing Indigenous “rescue” and labor in Maranhão. It retained categories through which captives could be transferred into colonial service, despite earlier...

On 1 April 1680, a royal law prohibited the captivity of Indigenous people in the State of Maranhão, including cases previously treated as exceptions. It ordered officials to free people held...

On 28 April 1688, the Crown partially revoked the 1680 prohibition and restored rules from 1655 that permitted Indigenous captivity under specified “rescue” and war conditions. The reversal followed...